ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Cabinet apprised of Progress under NHM and Decisions of Empowered Programme Committee and Mission Steering Group of NHM
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has been apprised of the Progress and new initiatives under National Health Mission  and the Decisions of the Empowered Programme Committee and Mission Steering Group of NHM.
Salient Features:
The outcomes achieved under the NHM during the last five years and during the year 2017-18 are:
- Decline by 2.7% in the Maternal Mortality Ratio  to 130 during 2014-16 from 178 during 2010-12;
- Decline in the Infant Mortality Rate  to 34 in 2016 as compared to 44 in 2011. The annual rate of decline of IMR between 2015 and 2018 was 8.1%;
- Decline in the Under 5 Mortality Rate  to 39 in 2016 from 55 in 2011. The U5MR annual rate of decline during 2015-16 was 9.3%;
- Decline in the Total Fertility Rate  to 2.3% in 2016. The percentage annual compound rate of decline in TFR during 2011-16 has been observed as 1.7%; and
Further various diseases-related health indicators have also shown improvement, such as:
- In respect of Malaria, the Annual Parasite Incidence  declined to 0.84 in 2016 from 1.10 in 2011. In 2017 malaria incidence went down by 30% and deaths due to malaria decreased by 70%;
- The incidence of Tuberculosis  per 1 lakh population has been reduced to 204 in 2017, from 234 in 2013. Incidence of TB per lakh population has been reduced to 204 in 2017 from 211 in 2016. Mortality due to TB per lakh population for India reduced to 21 in 2017 from 32 in 2016;
- The target of prevalence of leprosy <1/one lakh population has been achieved nationally. The number of districts that achieved elimination of leprosy has increased from 554 in 2017 to 571 by March 2018;
- Incidence of Kala Azar was to reduce it to less than 1 case per 10000 population in all blocks. The number of endemic blocks with prevalence of more than 1 case per 10000 population has been reduced to 72 in 2017, from 94 in 2016; and
- Reduction of diseases attributable to Tobacco use, like 4 major Non-Communicable Diseases  namely Cancers, diabetes, Stroke and Cardiovascular diseases, and chronic lung diseases has been achieved through measures for bringing down prevalence of tobacco use by 6% average points, to 28.6% in 2016-17 from 34.6% in 2009-10.
Special Service and Features
Job fair in Chennai : By National Career Service Centre for SC/ST
The National Career Service Centre for SC/ST , Directorate General of Employment, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, Santhome, Chennai-4 is going to organize a “Job fair/Rojgar mela” in Chennai on dated 18.12.2020 from 9.30 AM to 4.30 PM.
Vacanies are available in various private companies in the areas of BPO/ Banking/ Insurance/ E-Commerce/ Education/ IT/Advertising and FMCG/ HR/ Marketing and Sales etc. for both freshers and experienced. The Salary will be ranging from Rs.10,000/- to 30,000 per month. Candidates in the age group between 20 year to 35 years can participate. Preference will be given to graduates and above but candidates with +2 Higher Secondary qualification will also be considered if found suitable for the posts.
Though preference will be given to SC/ST candidates, general candidates who have the requisite qualifications and experience will also be considered, and are also invited to participate in the job fair. Those candidates who are interested can walk in directly to the venue. Also free registration in the NCS job portal will be done for the candidates who attend the job fair. The candidates are requested to bring their Aadhar card number for registration in NCS Job portal.
Camp will be organised at the National Career Service Centra for SC/ST, DGE, M/O Labour and Employment,  Santhome High Road, Kuiltope Chennai-4 between 9.30 AM to 4.00 PM. Interested candidates please contact for registration and further details: Ph-044-24615112.
The candidates are requested to bring their all photocopy of documents along with originals to the venue, according to a press release issued by Shri. Sujit Kumar Sahoo, Sub Regional Employment Officer, Chennai
Ministry of Power
REC ties up debt funding of Rs. 3081 crore to Serentica for 560 MW greenfield solar-wind project in Gadag, Karnataka
REC Limited has sanctioned debt funding of more than Rs. 3,081 Crore to renewable energy company Serentica Renewables for its 560 MW peak greenfield solar-wind hybrid project in Gadag district of Karnataka. The loan documentation has been signed and disbursement of funds is being done.
REC Limited, a Maharatna company, has emerged as a frontrunner in catalyzing India's energy transition, in alignment with the nation's COP26 commitments and recent G20 pledges under India’s G20 Presidency. With a resolute vision and unwavering commitment, REC is on a trajectory to achieve a green finance loan book of Rs. 3 lakh Crore by the fiscal year 2030.
CMD, REC Limited, Shri Vivek Kumar Dewangan has said that the company is proud to be at the forefront of India's journey towards a sustainable energy future. “Our partnerships and collaborations are a testament to our commitment to align with global visions for a cleaner and greener planet. REC envisions itself as the leading financing partner for India's energy transition, contributing significantly to the global mission of 'one world, one family, one future' as outlined by the G20."
As India and the world strive towards a cleaner and greener energy landscape, REC's dedication to fostering green finance initiatives and its pivotal role in India's energy transition reinforce its commitment to creating a sustainable and eco-friendly future.
REC Limited is an NBFC focusing on Power Sector Financing and Development across India. Established in 1969, REC Ltd. has completed over fifty-four years in the area of its operations. It provides financial assistance to the complete power-sector value chain; for various types of projects including Generation, Transmission & Distribution and Renewable Energy. Recently, REC has also diversified into non-power Infrastructure and Logistics sector, to cover areas such as airports, metro, railways, ports, bridges, etc.
Ministry of Power
Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and NTPC to transport part of their total domestic coal requirements using Rail-Ship-Rail  route: Union Power & NRE Minister Shri R. K. Singh
Due to steep increase in energy demand and constrained supply of domestic coal, various Central/ State Gencos and IPPs import coal for blending with domestic coal in their Thermal Power Plants. With a view to reduce import of coal for blending purposes being costlier, as well as to ease out the logistics pressure on Railways in evacuating coal from Mahanadi Coalfield Limited  region, Ministry of Power, vide letter dated 30.11.2022, advised the States of Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and NTPC to transport part of their total domestic coal requirements using Rail-Ship-Rail  route.
In response to State of Punjab Government’s letter dated 08.12.2022, Ministry of Power vide letter dated 24.02.2023 has informed that as extra coal is only available in the MCL and evacuation of this additional coal from MCL is only possible through Port of Paradip as the All Rail Route is congested, so Punjab State and Western States were asked to take coal from the sea route from Paradip Port to their generating stations. If, the State of Punjab does not want to do so, it is the choice of Punjab State.
Government of India does not mandate any particular route or Port and coal transport is entirely the decision of the concerned States/Generators.
The Rail-Ship-Rail route for transport of coal from MCL would be Rail from MCL to Eastern Ports, Eastern Ports to Western Ports by coastal shipping and Western Ports to the power plants located in the Northern and Western parts of the country by rail route.
This information was given by the Union Minister of Power Sh. R.K. Singh in the Rajya Sabha Today.
Ministry of Railways
Artificial Intelligence to Monitor the Food Production in Base Kitchens
An artificial intelligence module has been developed by IRCTC to find anomalies in standard operating procedure using CCTV footage. With this module base Kitchens will be monitored pan India. The Artificial Intelligence module realises the value of their videos and photos with vision computing. It can detect an unexpected change or an event that does not conform to the expected pattern using their machine learning algorithms.
To begin with, 16 base kitchens of IRCTC have been installed with high definition cameras connected to huge monitors for AI vision detection. Live streaming of 16 base kitchens is played all the time. The system detects anomalies of head gear, uniforms, rodents and mopping across kitchens and raises issues to be dealt accordingly with by IRCTC.
The AI system will be used to improve upon catering units. The system is capable of tracking any anomaly in the entire operation of catering. Suppose if a chef or any kitchen supervisor is not wearing their uniform, including the mandatory cap, the AI system will track that and automatically raises a report to the concerned contractor immediately. If the matter is not addressed within certain time, it will further be reported to IRCTC authorities in charge.
Once an issue has been captured through Artificial intelligence, a ticket will be created automatically by the system. An alert for the same will be sent to all concerned via email as well as through portal for necessary action. Escalation matrix will be followed as per predefined procedure. Base-kitchens performance over a period of time can be viewed through reports given in the online platform provided.
The module has been developed in association with New Delhi based company called WOBOT.
Ministry of Minority Affairs
Record number of Pilgrims from India to go for Haj 2018
The Government, led by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, has succeeded in getting India’s Haj quota increased for the consecutive second year. For the first time after the Independence, a record number of 1 lakh 75 thousand and 25 pilgrims from India will go for Haj 2018. The decision by the Saudi Arabia Government to increase India’s Haj quota for 2018 has come days after Shri Naqvi signed the bilateral annual Haj 2018 agreement between India and Saudi Arabia with Haj and Umrah Minister of Kingdom of Saudi Arabiaat Makkah.
Union Minister for Minority Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi today said that three years ago, India’s Haj quota was about 1,36,020, which has been increased during the last two years, to a record – 1 lakh 75 thousand and 25. “This has happened because of the growing popularity of the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi and due to India’s cordial and strengthened relations with Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations under the leadership of Shri Modi”, the Minister said. He added that last year also, Saudi Arabia had increased India’s Haj quota by 35,000.
On behalf of Government of India and people of the country, Shri Naqvi thanked the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, His Excellency, King Salman bin Abdul Aziz al Saud and Saudi Arabia Government for the increase in India’s Haj quota. He emphasised that besides this, Saudi Arabia has also given the green signal for India’s decision to revive the option of sending Haj pilgrims through sea route also and officials from both the countries will discuss all the necessary formalities and technicalities, so that Haj pilgrimage through sea route can be started in the coming years.
The Minister pointed out that about 3 lakh 55 thousand applications have been received for Haj 2018. Shri Naqvi said that for the first time, Muslim women from India will go to Haj without “Mehram” . More than 1, 300 women have applied to go for Haj without male “Mehram” and all of these women will be exempted from lottery system and allowed to proceed to Haj. Women above 45 years of age, who wish to go for Haj, but who do not have a male companion, are allowed to travel for Haj in groups of 4 or more women, according to the new Indian Haj policy.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
Suggestions invited for amending Motor Vehicle Rules to facilitate issuing DLs to colour blind people
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has invited suggestions and comments from all stake holders including general public on the proposed amendment in the Motor Vehicle Rules for enabling colour blind people procure driving licence. A Notification to this effect has been issued on the 16th last, which can be seen at www.morth.gov.in.
It was brought to the notice of the Ministry that the Colour Blind citizens were not being able to get the driving licence made although they are able to perform all functions properly except from identifying colours. The matter was sympathetically examined consulting the Medical experts. It had been reported that the citizens with certain degree of colour blindness can be provided with driving licence and this is being done in many countries of the world.
Being sensitive to the issues raised and considering the demand of such citizens, the Ministry has issued a draft notification GSR 176 E, dated 16 March 2020 for amendment to Form 1 and 1A of Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989 for solociting comments and suggestions from all stake holders.
The suggestions or comments can be sent to the Joint Secretary , Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Transport Bhavan, Parliament Street, New Delhi-110001  upto 15th of April, 2020.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
Sportspersons preparing for participation in international sports events are continuously assisted for their training and competitive exposures within the country and abroad: Shri Anurag Thakur
7998 talented sports persons  are being trained in 34 sports disciplines on residential and non-residential basis at present
Sportspersons preparing for participation in international sports events are continuously assisted for their training and competitive exposures within the country and abroad through the Annual Calendar of Training & Competitions , funded under the Scheme of Assistance to National Sports Federations . Further, the Target Olympic Podium Scheme  has been implemented since 2014 for meeting the requirements of customized training of the athletes with medal prospects in mega sports events such as the Olympics, the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games, to help them excel at these international sporting events. At present, 98 individual athletes &02 hockey teams  are included in the TOPS core group. Under the TOPS Development Group, talent identification of 165 elite sporting talents has been completed.
The Government has launched Khelo India Programmes with the twin objectives of mass participation and promotion of excellence in sports. Various programmes have been launched under this scheme to promote sports and to improve the level of sports and infrastructure facilities including stadiums, playing fields, tracks and sports training across the country. At present, 2759 athletes are covered for training and financial support under Khelo India Scheme.
The Sports Authority of India  is also implementing the following sports promotional schemes across the country to identify talented sportspersons in various age groups and nurture them to excel at national and international levels:-
- National Centres of Excellence 
- SAI Training Centre 
- Extension Centre of STC
- National Sports Talent Contest 
A total of 188 centres including NCOEs, STCs, Extension Centres, etc. are functional for implementation of above sports promotional schemes of SAI. Presently, 7998 talented sports persons  are being trained in 34 sports disciplines on residential and non-residential basis.
The selected athletes are provided support in the form of expert coaches, sports equipment, boarding and lodging, sports kit, competition exposure, educational expenses, medical/ insurance and stipend as per the approved scheme norms.
This reply was given by Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Shri Anurag Singh Thakur in Lok Sabha today.
Special Service and Features
G20 SAI Summit opens in Goa tomorrow
CAG of India Shri Girish Chandra Murmu to deliver the inaugural address as chair G20 SAI
The Comptroller and Auditor General  of India is the Chair of the Supreme Audit Institutions-20  Engagement Group under the India’s G20 Presidency. The SAI20 Summit will take place in the state of Goa from 12th to 14th June 2023. CAG of India Shri Girish Chandra Murmu will deliver the inaugural speech on 12th June 2023.
The delegates from SAI20 member SAIs of G20 countries, Guest SAIs, Invited SAIs, International Organizations, Engagement Groups and other invitees would attend the SAI20 Summit. SAIs of Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, Nigeria, Oman, Spain, UAE, Morocco and Poland will be participating in-person.
Under the guiding philosophy for India’s Presidency of G20, Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam i.e. “One Earth, One Family, and One Future”, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India had proposed the collaboration of SAI20 Engagement Group on two priority areas — Blue Economy and Responsible Artificial Intelligence .
Blue Economy is the Sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of our ecosystem. With AI making greater inroads into governance, SAIs must inevitably prepare themselves for auditing AI based governance systems. Simultaneously SAIs must look for opportunities to adopt AI into their audit techniques to increase their effectiveness.
In line with this, during the course of the SAI20 Summit, SAI India shall present and introduce the Compendiums on Blue Economy and Responsible AI which has contributions and experience sharing by the SAI20 members and other SAIs to guide future audits on these priority areas. There shall further be sharing of knowledge and experiences by the eminent panelists during the insights on Blue Economy and Responsible AI. Importantly, consensus will be derived on the role and responsibilities of SAI20 Engagement Group, in the times to come, in fostering accountability in governance and strategically partnering with the governments to respond to global challenges.
BSC/TT/48-23/
Ministry of Electronics & IT
MeitY releases Draft amendments to the IT  Rules, 2021 in relation to online gaming
Online gaming industry poised for rapid expansion and growth: MoS Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology today released draft amendments to the IT intermediary rules 2021, pertaining to Online Gaming for public consultations.
The draft has been prepared to ensure that online games should be offered in conformity with Indian laws and that the users of such games be safeguarded against potential harm.
Last week,on 26th December, the Government through a gazette notification, notified change in Allocation of Business rules designating Meity as the nodal ministry for online gaming related concerns. Today, on 2nd January, merely a week later, the Ministry released the draft rules for public consultation.
Briefing reporters on the proposed draft, Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar affirmed that "The rules are simple - we would like the online gaming ecosystem to expand & grow and be an important catalyst to India’s One trillion dollar Digital economy goal by 2025-26. We also envision a bigger role for startups in the online gaming industry”.
The Minister said that the Ministry had moved swiftly in framing of the policy and this was possible due to a series of meetings/consultations conducted by MeiTY with stakeholders prior to drafting the policy. He added that the Ministry would be holding another set of public consultations to finalize the policy soon.
He said the draft has proposed a self-regulatory mechanism which, in future, may also regulate the content of online gaming and ensure that the games do not have violent, addictive or sexual content.
As of now, the age gating is 18 years and we would like to keep it that way and see if the present framework works to expand the innovation ecosystem around online gaming while keeping it safe & trusted for gamers.
Speaking on the safety concerns, the Minister said around 40 to 45 percent of the gamers in India are women, and therefore it was all more important to keep the gaming ecosystem safe.
He said the draft rules have strict provisions against betting and wagering. The online games that allow wagering on the outcome are effectively a no-go area, he stressed.
Ministry of Home Affairs
On his third day of his visit to Manipur, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah visited Moreh and Kangpokpi and had wide ranging discussions with civil society organisations
Delegates expressed strong support for the government's initiatives to restore normalcy in the state
Home Minister assured that supply of essential items in hill areas and helicopter services for emergency needs in Churachandpur, Moreh and Kangpokpi will be ensured
Home Minister also visited a relief camp in Kangpokpi and met the Kuki community members, Shri Amit Shah said we are committed to restoring peace in Manipur as early as possible and ensuring their return to their homes
Shri Amit Shah visited a relief camp in Imphal where the members of the Meitei community are residing, Home Minister said that our resolve remains focused on leading Manipur back to the track of peace and harmony once again and their return to their homes at the earliest
Home Minister also held security review meeting with top officials in Imphal ,directed them to take stern and prompt actions to prevent violence, against armed miscreants and recover looted weapons to bring back normalcy at the earliest
On his third day of his visit to Manipur, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah visited Moreh and Kangpokpi and had wide ranging discussions with civil society organisations. He met delegation of Hill tribal council, Kuki Students Organisation, Kuki Chiefs Association, Tamil Sangam, Gorkha Samaj and Manipuri Muslim council in Moreh. The delegates expressed strong support for the government's initiatives to restore normalcy in the state. Union Home Minister also took briefing on security situation from senior officials.
In Kangpokpi, Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah met delegations of civil society organisations such as Committee on Tribal Unity, Kuki Inpi Manipur, Kuki Student organisation, Thadou Inpi and Prominent personalities and intellectuals. Shri Amit Shah assured that supply of essential items in hill areas and helicopter services for emergency needs in Churachandpur, Moreh and Kangpokpi will be ensured.
Home Minister also visited a relief camp in Kangpokpi and met the Kuki community members. Shri Amit Shah said we are committed to restoring peace in Manipur as early as possible and ensuring their return to their homes.
Later Shri Amit Shah visited a relief camp in Imphal where the members of the Meitei community are residing. He said that our resolve remains focused on leading Manipur back to the track of peace and harmony once again and their return to their homes at the earliest.
Union Home Minister also held security review meeting with top officials in Imphal. He directed them to take stern and prompt actions to prevent violence, against armed miscreants and recover looted weapons to bring back normalcy at the earliest.